Shane Vereen Fantasy Football Week 7 Projection

By kellyanderson on October 15, 2014

Now that Stevan Ridley is out for the year with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, the clear choice to get the majority of the carries moving forward for the New England Patriots would be his backup, Shane Vereen. I will, however, put up a caution flag in regards to making this move as Bill Belichick has been known to use running back by committee depending on which opponent they’re up against and the game plan he comes up with to attack them. He is also known for pulling out the quick hook if his running backs fumble or get into an argument with a coordinator during the week. I guess all of that cold weather up in New England can make you pretty cranky.

Vereen was a good bye-week option for your squad before the injury to Ridley occurred because he was already getting around eight to nine productive carries a game in that offense. He was also able to snag about three receptions a game, and that obviously carries extra weight if you are in a PPR league. Now, you should expect to see his carries double as well as see a rise in the number of receptions he gets out of the backfield as his time on the field will increase. Belichick has shown confidence in using Vereen in big games, as well as in important down and distances; and Vereen, who is not known for turning the ball over, is already averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season. So he has shown that he can be productive if given the chance.

One more thing to be aware of is that Brandon Bolden is another option at running back for the Patriots as he already has experience within the offense and has also been productive. At 5-foot-11, and weighing in at 220 pounds, he is a bigger back than Vereen is, so this may mean he will get more goal-line carries when the Patriots decide to go with a jumbo package.

Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google.